Halloween Lookbook with Kayleigh Kay & Savers

When Savers reached out to me and asked if I wanted to do a Halloween post, my immediate answer was a very enthusiastic “yes”! I had already done some planning for the holiday, but still needed a couple more things to complete my costume. Savers agreed to send me a gift card to help me finish off my look(s) for the holiday, and I knew I was in for a treat!

I figured I’d do a post on how I was able to find just what I needed to complete a single look… but then I got to thinking about how fun it would be to do a Halloween-themed lookbook. A few hours later, photographer Kayleigh Kay and I had booked a time to shoot and I raided my costume closet to see what I already had for a few looks I thought would work with my newly split-dyed hair. Then I hit Savers. Here’s what I came up with…

Cruella de Vil

This one was a given, right? Before I darkened the platinum side, Cruella was the first thing that came to mind for a lot of people who saw me (including, I think, one possibly scarred-for-life little girl I saw in the dress aisle at Savers… oops). I knew I was going to be able to find pieces at Savers for this, and I was right!

The first thing I found was the jacket, which only cost me $14.99… imagine my surprise when I discovered it was a limited edition Target capsule collection piece, and it retailed initially for $89.99. It’s wool and beautifully lined, which means it’s more than just a costume piece. It’ll be nice for early spring. But in the meantime, the shape is perfect for a Cruella look. The only thing “wrong” with it is the lining, which isn’t red. But that’s ok… the next thing I managed to find made up for it.

The next thing I found at Savers was none other than a red satin dress! It fit me pretty darn close to perfect, and for $12.99, I couldn’t really beat it. Original retail price was probably around $70, so this was another good find. I’m keeping it around too, because all I need to do is get the straps taken up and I’ve got a smokin’ hot little party dress.

I finished off the look with a few things from my own closet–black studded booties, black patterned tights, my three tails from Ren Faire, and a skull ring–all of which felt very Cruella to me. I added a few things from Amazon–the red half-gloves and the green jewelry (earrings, the ring, and the necklace)–and a bag from Kohl’s and the costume was nearly complete. A red lip finished it off perfectly. Total cost? $60.08 for this look, and no doubt it would have been more if not for those two fab finds from Savers.

Witch

I never posted about the dress I used as the base for this look, but I snagged it after last Halloween during a Savers 50% off sale. The dress I wore for my witch costume last year turned out to be too small on me, and I hadn’t tried it on… needless to say there was almost no costume, so lesson learned! When I saw this deep purple dress at Savers, and it fit perfect, I grabbed it. Goes to show, really, that if you’re going to be thrifting a costume, it’s never too early to start!

A lot of this costume is actually repurposed from my pirate costume, particularly the jewelry, which I’ve spent years acquiring. The studded bag was another Savers find, though, and I found that this summer for around $5. I bought it to add to my Ren Faire costume, but it worked really well for this look as well. And for going out, it’s nice to be able to carry the essentials without having to worry about a purse.

The necklace with all of the charms I put together last year for my witch costume, and the fur capelet is another thrifted find that I scored during Halloween season a few years ago, but had no idea what I’d do with it. I wore it last year for my witch costume as well.. Another testament to snagging stuff that catches your eye when out hunting for stuff.

My headpiece is a combination of a DIY flower crown, using lots of wire and some silk flowers, and a pair of glittery horns I’ve had for ages. I finished off the look with some deep blue lipstick, to match my nails, and a few rings, and that was it. I don’t have an exact cost on this look, but I’d wager it was also around $60 all said and done. Maybe a little more since there’s a lot of non-thrifted jewelry here.

Oh, and for shoes here, I actually kept my sneakers on, but largely because I didn’t want to end up falling while playing across this little creek. I had a different pair of shoes planned for this look, but four-inch heels and prancing around on wet rocks is just asking for an ER visit. No thanks!

Demon

This one was a really fun costume to put together, and it all happened thanks to a dress I saw on a final walkthrough of the store before checking out. How I missed it before was beyond me, but I figure it wasn’t out on my first couple spins around the store. That’s why I always make one final round though the store before I check out. I found this shredded dress in the costume section for $6.99 and I knew the second I saw it exactly what I was going to do with it.

I did one more spin through the store for a black scarf, since mine is currently packed away, and found one for $3.99. As I walked around trying to figure out what kind of creature I could create with this dress and a scarf, I saw a skull-faced sickle and I knew I was going to be a demon. I wanted the look to be more sinister than a short dress would allow, so I put a black maxi underneath and belted the dress with a few black lengths of fabric I use for my pirate costume. If I were going out in this, I’d likely add my black leather fanny pack so I could carry money, my ID, and my cell.

Over the summer, I made a pair of horns out of cardboard, hot glue, and paint. I was going to wear them to Ren Faire, but that costume didn’t end up panning out, so I figured I’d hang on to them until something else came along. Wearing them with the shredded dress was perfect, and they nearly matched the sickle on top of it. I wore the scarf as a shawl, and added an old black tube top around my neck for another layer. Tucked under the tube top is a cascading chain necklace, a costume cross necklace, a tooth necklace, and a belt (also from Savers).

My shoes, while hidden, are a pair of buckle booties that hit me about mid-calf, with black tights underneath. But really, with the maxi skirt, you can’t tell, and I could have gone with flats for comfort’s sake. I loaded up my fingers with rings–everything from a big chunky black ring I found over the summer at Savers to my Benjamin Black fingernail ring, and then some–and put on a deep grey lip to finish up the look. The scarf and the dress cost $10.98, and while I can’t recall the exact cost of the sickle, it wasn’t any more than $15, so figure this look cost me about $26.

Thrift or treat, indeed!

One great thing about thrifting for costumes at a place like Savers is that the hunt is half the fun. Another thing is that at Savers you can find costume pieces year-round, and sometimes it doesn’t even take that much effort. And finally, around Halloween time, Savers stocks new costumes and accessories in addition to all of the unique and fun donated items, so you can get great prices on new pieces as well as interesting ones that will ensure you have a one-of-a-kind costume! Find your nearest Savers (and some Halloween inspiration) to start your hunt today!

Shout out to Kayleigh Kay for making me look creeptastic!

I’ve worked with Kayleigh a coupletimes now, and have sent you to her social media and website before. This time around I’m going to send you to the That’s a Doozy website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Kayleigh is now working for That’s a Doozy doing photography and video work, and it’s a really cool, creative group that’s growing quite a bit. Definitely worth checking out, especially for their awesome behind-the-scenes posts.

Disclaimer: This was a sponsored post, and I received compensation in the form of product in exchange for my write up. All opinions are my own and were not affected by compensation received. For more information please view my Disclosure Policy.

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HOLY MOLY! Are you kidding me! These costumes and makeup are worthy of some kind of professional award! You look STUNNING and quite “killer” in these looks!
I LOVE the red dress and the deals you got on these items are AMAZING!
Just so impressed!

Oh wow, all of these costumes are outstanding! I think I like you as Cruella the best though. What a great photographer!

Jenna Wood

October 28, 2015 at 7:47 PM

As obvious as the Cruela one is, and as awesome as it looks, I think I’d be rocking the demon look- it is just so sinister. You pull all of them off so well, I can’t believe so many of the ‘pull together pieces’ came from Savers. Costumes that don’t look overly dressy or fake are always the best; great way to use found elements!

Thanks! I agree that sometimes the best costumes use found pieces (obviously, I think that haha). It’s so much fun taking an idea and making it happen with found pieces, and it makes the costume all that more unique and interesting.

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